So, yeah. I called it. Sure, it was just shy of 10 months ago, but I did predict that Microsoft would increase the price of Xbox Live (XBL) subscriptions… and here we are. The increase occurs on November 1st, which is just before the release of Microsoft's Kinect camera and associated hardware bundles. It's a blatant attempt to cash in on these new users while raising prices for legacy consumers at the same time.

Completed Dead Rising 2: Case Zero last night. I was having so much fun that I decided to go for all of the Achievements and just wrapped it up a few hours ago.

Hellishly Good

HIGH Demolishing hordes of demons with righteous holy light.

LOW Trying to figure out how to stay airborne for eight seconds.

WTF Why is there no second, darker ending for playing the evil side?

Don't Knock the Farmer

High Wiping the floor with enemies who wiped the floor with you earlier.

Low Adding a new class mid-game can mean a lot of painful leveling-up.

WTF Would it really kill the game to have the experience accrue just a bit faster?

Too Human? Too Tedious

HIGH Fantastically creative re-imagining of Norse myths.

LOW The repetitive, soul-crushing flatness of the gameplay.

WTF Why does each part of the game feel like it doesn't fit with the rest?

Escaped the Police, but got a Little Banged up Along the Way

HIGH The first few hours of story.

LOW The driving.

WTF Driving into a barrier on an overpass, being thrown through the windshield, falling six or so stories, and still walking away.

For those who don't know, Case Zero is a bit of a weird beast. It's essentially a demo for the full version of Dead Rising 2, but not exactly—this demo has been reworked into a complete micro-adventure that gives players a real flavor for what the larger project will be like. It comes with its own achievements, and players who complete it will be able to carry over stats and items into the main game. If you ask me, this is a pretty bad-ass idea and I'm diggin' it…

Block like a Man

HIGH You gotta love the "click" that happens when dozens of minutes of frustration give way to a natural, logical conclusion.

LOW Please play me a different song on this next puzzle!

WTF My insurance provider doesn’t see Picross-related carpal tunnel syndrome as a viable reason for treatment.

I've got to say, that was one of the most original and exciting titles I've played in a while, mostly thanks to the wide variety of ideas and approaches the developers managed to cram onto one disc. I especially appreciated the time and effort put into fleshing out each of the characters, and I have no doubt that I will be able to clearly remember them years from now.